His band's moniker may be an homage to impaired faculties, but Drunk Stuntmen-fronter Steve Sanderson is notorious for his astute observations. Which is precisely the reason your friendly neighborhood Nightcrawler contacted him after learning that Sanderson had accompanied senior citizen singers/fledgling silver screen stars The Young@Heart Chorus during a recent press junket to promote their new flick.
And as Stuntmen Steve reeled off anecdotes about his experiences on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Ellen late last month, the Crawler experienced shooting pains that seemed to radiate from the wrist of his note-taking hand as he struggled to keep up, plus his ribs, thanks to frequent bursts of laughter.
"Then, who walks out but Suzanne Somers, who looks like somebody jammed hooks on each side of her face, put a boot behind her head and started pulling," Sanderson says of one of his star encounters on the latter show. "And of course, she transforms all of her interview time into a freakin' infomercial about her products."
His Somers-assault not withstanding, Sanderson is quick to note that he found DeGeneres—and her entire staff—extremely generous with both their time and resources. He was particularly impressed with the fact that DeGeneres took the initiative to screen the Young@Heart movie for her entire audience prior to their appearance.
"You can just tell everyone involved with Ellen and her show is happy to be there, and constantly trying to contribute," he says.
Left-coasting it with Leno a couple of days earlier, however, proved a polar opposite.
"The guest there was Charles Barkley, who was just awesome, and it was really interesting to hear his stories and political aspirations," he says. "And Jay's a nice enough guy, but he's had it. I mean, he literally shook my hand, spun around once, and greeted me again 10 seconds later like he'd never seen me before in his life."
While Sanderson ultimately dismisses such antics by the square-jawed comedian as "job burn-out," the memory of two other Tonight Show crew members—who, he assumes, were producers of some sort—ignites an ire in him normally reserved for club owners who try to stiff his band after a performance or barkeeps who have to inform him they're out of whiskey.
"It was literally like, 'Can we move the real old people to front and make those other old people move more?'" he recalls. "Like the Young@Heart Chorus were props… and it pissed me off. This ain't a dog and pony show, it's a rock show. And we've already decided who will stand where and do what."
In other news, over at Chicopee's Maximum Capacity, Pete Garvey can usually be found standing behind the mixing board running sound on any given weekend. This Saturday, May 3, however, he say's he'll relinquish his knob-jockeying duties and strap on his bass when his band, Check Your Head, lays down its Beastie-heavy beats at Max Cap. And he can think of at least three good reasons for you and all your friends to join him.
"It's ladies' night, a Cinco De Mayo bash, and my birthday, so I can't see how there could possibly be less than eight people there," Garvey jests.
For more info on upping Garvey's attendance estimations and becoming part of the frivolity, visit www.maximumsportsbar.com.
Last up, Matthew Andrews checked in to report that Best Buddies—an organization (for which he is program supervisor) geared toward enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities—will host a benefit concert at The Elevens on Saturday, May 3. By the look of things, Andrews and his buddies seem to have some friends in high places, including former Miracle Legion frontman Mark Mulcahy, Whistle Jacket, and Los Hijos Unicorns—all of whom and more have signed on to perform. For the full rundown and show specifics, kindly point your browser to www.bestbuddiesma.org/concert."
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
